October 2015

10/26/2015

On Ocotber the 8th the crew of La Grange harvested the last grapes. It was a wonderful Cabernet Sauvignon. What a great finale to a harvest that has brought joy to all of us. The quality of the grapes was very good.

We started harvesting on August 24. June, July and the first half of August were very dry. We expected a good but small yield. Then came the rain, which made us very happy. There would be no water stress and the red grapes would be able to ripen well.

When the rain did not stop and several villages in the area suffered from flooding, all of us became very worried. We were lucky. There was an unusually high amount of rain during the past weeks. Our vineyards are, however, well-tended, the grapes are absolutely healthy and have developed wonderfully. We have harvested a first-class vintage.

These have been pretty hectic weeks: The first harvest in the new building, then the chaotic weather conditions. Before it had all really begun, the mood among the team was quite tense. All of us were excited to see if everything worked out in the new cellar as smoothly as we had envisioned it. After the first few days all of us were very happy. Everything worked perfectly.

With great joy we now listen to the fine sound of the fermentation process and can hardly wait to see how the wines will develop.

10/05/2015

Years ago the piedmontese winemaker Jacomo Borgogno led us through his vineyards and declared: Up to right here Dolcetto grows best, from the next row on Nebbiolo grows best. For two amateurs like us that sounded completely incomprehensible, it seemed almost like magic; the dirt looked the same everywhere, stones where regularly strewn all around and we hadn't yet heard about microclimate.

After 7 years of experience with our own vineyards at La Grange we know that there was no witchcraft or black magic involved. The soil composition and the microclimate can change completely every few meters, and that changes the conditions of growth for every grape variety.

In order to create ideal conditions of growth for every grape variety at La Grange we had every vineyard tested by our consultant Jean Natoli. Now we know who grows best where and where every grape variety grows best and has its best results.Jean also advised us to plant Cabernet Sauvignon directly behind our cellar. After five years we could harvest this vineyard for the first time. That was in 2013 and we weren't entirely happy yet with the results. The year after the situation had entirely changed: The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon is gloriously corpulent without being fat, it has a delicate scent and tastes of black currents. It's also sure to have great potential for aging, if you're looking for a wine to keep rather than to drink right away.

The Mundus Vini Silver Medal that we were awarded for this wine is beautiful confirmation that we are on the right path. At the same time it is an incentive to go for Gold the next time. So stay tuned for more news about the next vintage of our Cabernet Sauvignon La Grange.